Along with the normal stuff, such as required books, a reliable watch and a lantern.

What's on your list?

Flashlight, multitool, hammer...

Obviously, the more you take the harder that grip strapis going to dig into your shoulder at the end of the day and the more it's going to feel like a ton of bricks coming down the ladder.

I began thinking about this after a discussion with a retired Conrail/NS Engineer @ my gym. His grip-which had to anticipate long trips and overnight stays included things like cereal bars.

What do you take?

1911,38, 44.

For me....

Book of Operating Rules (NORAC for us) including Safety Rules, Roadway Worker Rules, Special Instructions, Air Brake Rules, Timetable, and a copy of the most current Bulletin Order.
Air brake manual
Second pair of glasses or “corrective lenses”
Approved safety vest
Log book
Flashlight
Lantern
Pens (because they always seem to go missing from the cab)
Ticket punch and clicker/counter for passenger service conductor jobs
Extra pair of work gloves
Spare brake hose gaskets
Hard hat
Bad order tags
Hearing protection
Safety glasses

There’s also folks who carry more for flagging jobs or have a dedicated flagging kit.

We keep a tool box on the passenger consist.

Sort of embarrassing ... like asking what's in someone's purse. Let's see, some of the things that Mr. Patterson mentioned ...

Odd items: A reverser (yes, on a steam road this is way wrong); fusees; my last D&A test subpoena; an Amtrak P42 key (don't ask); spare protective lenses for my welding helmet; matches; cigars in various stages of decay; old wheel reports ...

You forgot to mention condoms in case the natives are friendly...

Your natives must be nicer than ours.

From CR days - A lot of engineers carried a spare reverser, some carried a plastic one, others carried an original metal version. Other personal preference items for engineers - a 'high' independent brake handle and/or a metal automatic handle for 26 brakes, and a lever actuator for the sand button (particularly handy for those that worked over hill and dale).

Some CDRs would carry a couple gaskets in their grips, but most mainline engines were equipped with a minimum of hammer, engine wrench, hose wrench, E and F knuckles, gaskets, runaround hoses and snow brooms (on CR units) and sometimes tie-up cables for hoses, so tools weren't really necessary grip items. Some guys carried heavy duty multitools, particularly for working cotter keys on knuckle pins, and a flashlight is a handy thing for engineers, who otherwise don't need to carry a large heavy lantern. CR issued each engineer a flashlight when I was there.

Many carried some version of route 'cheat sheets', particularly extra list people. There were some who made their own and some carried photocopies from others that were considered very accurate and full of relevant info. Most carried some sort of list of important phone/contact info for TM/CarDept/RFE/Enginehouse/Customers/Dispatchers/Radio channels/etc. Some CDRs carried CR ZTS books or at least relevant pages. Back then, many CDRs still carried a stack of IBM cards, used for anything you had to write down.

I always carried a clean shirt and skivies, even if it was only a day job. Always took at least snacks and a caffeine soda or two for the icebox/plow/stepbox. You never know when a 3.5 hour trip will turn into a 14 hour clusterf***.

And how times have changed - we used to be able to fit all our necessary paperwork in our grips with the personal stuff, now days a lot of guys carry a separate, large briefcase in addition to the grip just for 20 lbs or so of paperwork you have to carry.

My personal gear list had:

railroad standard pocket watch
ticket punch
half fare punch
spare air brake gaskets
safety glasses
ear plugs
work gloves
trainman's manual
NS timetable
NS Operating Rules
TVRM Operating Rules
TVRM timetable
Chattooga and Chickamauga Railway timetable
Passenger mileage report forms
accident report forms
tickets (for on train sales)
flagging kit with flag, fusees and torpedos
flashlight
red kerosene lantern
white kerosene lantern

Railroad provided the following:
disposable camera (for accident reporting)
tape recorder (for taking statements)
tool box with tools for repairs
kerosene marker lamps
battery powered marker lamps
accident reporting forms

I just recalled a friendly UP engineer from my adolescent foamer days who mentioned that all the engineers carried a cast iron brake shoe in their grips to make them heavy enough to hold down the dead man.

Everybody made fun of me for wearing sunglasses on duty as fireman on the Strasburg in 1986, but I still have the phone numbers of girls who approached me at the platform. For a while, I dated a girl from the restaurant at the Red Caboose Hotel.

That's why you carry the 1911.......mld

Hmmm. On the DL&W, friendly natives were in the employ of Mammy Heater and Jenny Duffy, so if you intended to make use of those items, you better have had cash as well.

I didn't see toilet paper mentioned...

I always carried a roll because sometimes nature calls rather loudly!

What you would pack in your grip (a duffle bag or maybe a Gladstone) would vary with whether you were train or engine crew, freight or passenger, steam or diesel era.

Some things would always be the same: rule book, timetable, special instructions, change of cloths, flash light or other battery powered light source, personal care items.

In addition to the above mentioned items.....I always carried a few torpedos.
Always good for a laugh with new employees around!

CR also supplied a first aid kit with paper towels, band aids, toilet paper etc.
When I worked on the Lehigh Valley they gave us nothing....

Keith